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Factors Affecting Rats' Location During Conditioned Suppression Training, Rick A. Bevins, John J. B. Ayres

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

If freezing underlies barpress conditioned suppression, then it seems odd that auditory cues paired with shock evoke more freezing than do visual cues, yet evoke similar suppression. Bevins and Ayres (1992) found that auditory and visual cues also evoked similar withdrawal from the bar and dipper areas and suggested that such withdrawal could explain the similar suppression. Seeking to understand that withdrawal, we found evidence in the present study that it was due either to adventitious punishment or to place-aversion learning. The cue for shock seemed to set the occasion for such learning. For example, we found that, as training …

Recovered Memory Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article examines the psychological basis for repression and recovery of traumatic memories, presents the results of research on potential sources of error in delayed or recovered memories, and offers possible reasons (primarily related to clinical practice and collective behavior) for false accusations of sexual abuse.

External Locus Of Control And Negative Life Experiences In Persons With Chronic Fatigue And Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, Pamela Thomas Priebe

Graduate Theses

A review of related literature indicated a person's perception of negative life experiences may be unusually high prior to the onset of an illness. An external locus of control belief system may also be present prior to the onset of an illness. The present study used the Life Experiences Survey measure to compare the perception of life experiences of a group of people with CFIDS and a group of people without CFIDS. The present study also used the Locus of Control Scale to measure the locus of control belief system for the same two groups of people. The results of …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Sexually Abused Children And Implications For Therapy, Robbie Jones

Graduate Theses

This study examined the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in sexually abused children. Sixty-seven children volunteered to participate in this study. Of the 67 children, 33 (26 female and 7 male) were sexually abused and 34 (22 female and 12 male) were non-sexually abused. Several instruments were employed to assess the severity of the symptoms of PTSD including the Children's PTSD Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Children's Depression Inventory, as well as others. The results of this study showed that sexually abused children have more symptoms of PTSD than non-sexually abused children. Early diagnosis and treatment of …

The Effects Of Two Models Of Positive Feedback Of Children's Motivation, Judith Margaret Lynch

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the type of written or verbal positive comment regarding a child's accomplishment influences subsequent interest in a task. A preliminary investigation of literature revealed that often rewards and praise negatively alter children's behavior. The writer tested the hypothesis derived from this investigation that non- evaluative descriptive comments, commonly called encouragement, positively affect children more than evaluative praise comments. 32 kindergarten and 36 third grade children received evaluative praise comments and 31 kindergarten and 42 third grade children received non- evaluative descriptive comments on drawings for three days. The fourth day, children …

Social Networks And Daily Activities Of Street Youth In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Regina Campos, Marcela Raffaelli, Walter Ude, Marilia Greco, Andrea Ruff, Jon Rolf, Carlos Mauricio Antunes, Neal Halsey, Dirceu Greco, Mauro Jeronymo, Carl Kendall, Alice Payne Merritt, Jorge Andrade Pinto, Eliana Siqueira, Barbara De Zalduondo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Social networks and daily activities of children and adolescents living and/or working on the streets of a large Brazilian city were examined. Drawing on data collected through structured surveys, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations, we described street youths’ family situation, social resources, institutional experiences, survival activities, and problem behaviors and investigated differences attributable to age, gender, and living situation (at home or on the street). Youngsters who lived at home and worked on the street appeared to be experiencing orderly development despite their impoverished circumstances. Youngsters who lived on the street showed hallmarks of psychological and physical …

The Identification And Reporting Of Physical Abuse By Physicians: A Review And Implications For Research, Jody E. Warner, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Identification and reporting of possible cases of child physical abuse are critical precursors to intervention with maltreating families. Professionals from a variety of disciplines are mandated to report suspected cases of child maltreatment. Unfortunately, not all physically abused children are identified or reported. This paper reviews the literature that has examined factors that may influence the identification and reporting of physical abuse by physicians. The literature review is preceded by an overview of the multistep, multibehavior process of identification and reporting. The factors that may influence identification and reporting are discussed according to their association with the case, physician, or …

Extra-Legal Factors And Product Liability: The Influence Of Mock Jurors’ Demographic Characteristics And Intuitions About The Cause Of An Injury, Brian H. Bornstein, Michelle Rajki

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Two experiments were performed to investigate the role of extra-legal factors in a simulated product liability trial. In cases where the factual evidence was identical, subjects’ liability judgments varied as a function of the case-specific factor of the alleged source of the plaintiff’s injury. In deciding cases differently depending on the alleged cause, subjects relied on intuitions about what injury sources are more or less likely to cause a certain kind of injury. Juror- specific factors also influenced subjects’ verdicts. There was no difference between students and non-students, but race and SES—factors that are often correlated with student status—did affect …

Socialization Of Children’S Vicarious Emotional Responding And Prosocial Behavior: Relations With Mothers' Perceptions Of Children's Emotional Reactivity , Richard A. Fabes, Nancy Eisenberg, Mariss Karbon, Jane Bernzweig, Anna Lee Speer, Gustavo Carlo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

We examined mother-child emotion-related interactions and how these interactions related to mothers’ perceptions of children’s emotional reactivity. Mothers of 49 kindergartners and 54 2nd graders told their children 2 stories about distressed others. Children’s emotional, physiological, and prosocial responses were also obtained. Mothers rated children’s tendencies to become emotional when exposed to distressed others. For kindergartners, mothers’ perceptions of children’s emotional reactivity were positively related to her use of positive facial expressions. Mothers’ perceptions of 2nd graders’ emotional reactivity were inversely related to maternal responsiveness. For both age groups, children’s skin conductance was inversely related to helpfulness. These findings suggest …

A Multiplicative Model Of The Dispositional Antecedents Of A Prosocial Behavior: Predicting More Of The People More Of The Time, George Knight, Lora G. Johnson, Gustavo Carlo, Nancy Eisenberg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Researchers have demonstrated that individual differences in prosocial behavior may be a function of dispositional or person variables. However, the observed empirical relations have been relatively modest, perhaps because researchers have most often examined simple additive or single predictor models. The present investigation examined a multiplicative model of the relation of dispositional variables to a prosocial behavior. Eighty-six children between 6 and 9 years old completed a monetary donation task and measures of the general tendency to understand and reason about the affective state of others, to be sympathetic, and to understand the units and value of money. As expected, …

Influence Of Ethnicity, Acculturation And Personality Attributes On Eating Attitudes And Behaviors Associated With Bulimia, Janet Arlene Profit

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Longitudinal Study Of Occupational Stressors And Depressive Symptoms In First-Year Teachers, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Administered the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and episodic stressor and strain scales to 255 female newly appointed teachers. Job conditions were related to postemployment depressive symptoms independently of pre-employment symptoms and other risk factors. Ss who worked in the most adverse school environments showed the most depressive symptoms; Ss in schools with the best conditions tended to show the fewest symptoms. The effects of working conditions on symptoms were relatively immediate. There may be positive mental health effects, in relation to preemployment levels, associated with teaching in benign school environments. Suggestions for future progress in …

Responding To Sexual Discrimination: The Effects Of Societal Versus Self-Blame, Mindi D. Foster, Kimberley Matheson, Megan Poole

Psychology Faculty Publications

While self-blame has been considered to be a useful coping tool for victims, its benefits within the context of group discrimination are equivocal. The present research hypothesized that women encouraged to engage in self-blame for sex discrimination would be more likely to endorse accepting their situation or endorse the use of individual, normative actions. In contrast, women encouraged to engage in societal blame for sex discrimination would be more likely to participate in non-normative actions aimed at enhancing the status of the group as a whole. Female students in Canada were subjected to a situation of discrimination and were encouraged …

Selected Demographic Variables As Predictors Of Behavior Change Among Adolescents In A Residential Treatment Center, Paul Stoltzfus

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Research has demonstrated that theories of coping resources can be clarified by delineating risk factors and protective factors. These factors modulate the impact of traumatic events and which predict treatment outcome. This research project selected variables, conceptualized as risk and protective factors, to predict behavioral changes of adolescents at Chehalem House, a residential treatment center. The predictor variables were gender, age, diagnoses, level of intellectual functioning, the occurrence of sexual abuse, and severity of sexual abuse . The behaviors selected as criterion variables were non-compliance, negative attention seeking, and passivity/depression. Statistically significant regression equations were derived : a positive correlation …

An Unusual Reaction To Opioid Blockade With Naltrexone In A Case Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Paloma Ibarra, Stephen P. Bruehl, James A. Mccubbin, Charles R. Carlson, John F. Wilson, Jane A. Norton, Thomas B. Montgomery

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

An unusual behavioral and cardiovascular reaction was observed during opioid blockade with naltrexone in a 32-year-old male who met DSM III-R criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As part of an ongoing placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of naltrexone on laboratory and ambulatory blood pressure reactivity, this participant reported experiencing feelings of rage, explosive behavior, and other unpleasant symptoms. When compared to all other subjects (N=24), this individual showed significantly greater effects of naltrexone on blood pressure reactivity during the laboratory stressor. His ambulatory blood pressures, when compared to placebo, were significantly increased during the 24-hr period following …

Some Reasons To Expect Universal Antecedents Of Emotion, Phoebe C. Ellsworth

Book Chapters

First, human beings are all of the same species. Their bodies, their autonomic nervous systems, their hormones, and their sense organs resemble each other in structure and in use, and there is no doubt that these brains, autonomic nervous systems, hormones, and sense organs are essential to emotion.

Second, in order to survive in the world, human beings must be able to appreciate changes in the environment that have important consequences for their well-being, and they must be able to respond to these changes effectively. They must cope with immediate perils and take advantage of immediate opportunities, and they must …

Levels Of Thought And Levels Of Emotion, Phoebe C. Ellsworth

Book Chapters

I am not talking about unconscious emotions. If we have emotions that never ripple the surface of consciousness, they are beyond the scope of this discussion. I am talking about times when we are aware of emotional feelings, whether or not we can give these feelings a name.

Even for conscious emotional states, I think it is impossible to specify a set of minimal cognitive prerequisites. In some ways it is analogous to the attempt to specify the defining features of mental illness. Some people are delusional but not unhappy, some experience debilitating panic attacks even though they "know" there …

“Introduction” To Integrative Views Of Motivation, Cognition, And Emotion, William D. Spaulding

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

One of my formative experiences as a graduate student came during a break in our afternoon-long first-year proseminar. We had been discussing the scope of psychology, or rather, listening to two professors debate the scope of psychology. Both the protagonists were clinical psychologists by training, but one had remained an empirically focused social learning theorist, while the other had pursued the study of Eastern religion, psychoanalysis, and transpersonal psychology. As the class milled about, the social learning empiricist sought some closure on the discussion. "Dick," he said to his transpersonal colleague, "it seems to me that we disagree because in …

In Slime And Darkness: The Metaphor Of Filth In Criminal Justice, Martha Grace Duncan

Faculty Articles

An article such as this one, which seeks to examine the labyrinthine chains of meanings that we associate with illegal behavior, cries out for an interdisciplinary approach. Specifically, it demands a source that can reveal our unconscious as well as our conscious associations. Such a source is classical literature -- works of fiction that, by virtue of being read and loved through centuries and across continents, have proven their capacity to strike a responsive chord in their readers. Therefore, in Part II of this Article, I employ the classics, supplemented by occasional examples from contemporary fiction, history, and theology, to …

Laboratory Tests Of A Motivational-Perceptual Model Of Conflict Escalation, Bill E. Peterson, David G. Winter, Richard M. Doty

Psychology: Faculty Publications

We present a model suggesting that international conflicts escalate to violence when countries (a) express higher levels of power motive imagery, (b) exaggerate levels of perceived power motive imagery in communications and statements from the “other” side, and (c) express still higher levels of power motive imagery as a result of such exaggerated perceptions. The model is supported by three studies. In the first two, participants wrote replies to one of two versions of the same letter taken from a real crisis. The third study explored conditions that affect the exaggerated perception of power motive imagery of the other side …

The Role Of Religion In The Psychology Of Coping With Lifestyle Changes And Traumatic Life Events, Tricia C. Drury

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper presents a survey of research on the role of religion in the psychology of coping with lifestyle changes and traumatic life events. Specifically, it offers a comprehensive literature review concerning individual differences in religious coping, styles of religious coping, the use of religious coping strategies by older adults, the role of religion in coping with illness, and the role of religion in coping with death. Published literature suggests that religious coping strategies are used frequently and by all types of people in dealing with problems. Suggestions for future research and a personal statement concerning religious coping are also …

Use Of Visual And Tactile Behaviors By Rats (Rattus Norvegicus) In An Object Discrimination Swimming Task, Todd Wiebers

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

When challenged with a cognitive task, rats demonstrate a behavioral flexibility in use and preference of sensory modalities. The present study describes visual and tactile behaviors used by rats in a two choice object discrimination swimming task. The task was designed to preclude use of other sensory modalities and could not be solved via spatial strategies. Fourteen rats learned to criterion a series of 10 discrimination problems. Rats exhibited three stereotypic visual and two stereotypic tactile behaviors over the course of the study. Data analyses indicated that rats demonstrated these behaviors more frequently as they became more familiar with the …

Detecting Malingered Psychotic Symptoms With The Rorschach Projective Technique, Kristin M. Batchelder

Dissertations

Problem. Criminal defendants may be strongly motivated to avoid prosecution by appearing mentally ill, and the malingering of psychotic symptoms is of special concern in legal proceedings. Much research has been conducted to determine accurate methods to detect malingering. These include clinical interviews, structured personality tests, intelligence tests, and projective techniques. This present study investigated the ability of specific variables on the Rorschach Projective Technique to detect malingered protocols.

Method. The 83 subjects in this study were restricted to male pre-trial defendants in the Federal Judicial system who were placed into three categories by diagnosis: (1) malingering psychotic symptoms, (2) …

Mind And Measurement: Review Of Daniel Algom (Ed.), Psychophysical Approaches To Cognition, John H. Flowers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

I believe this volume will stimulate new research ideas, provide readers with some unique historical and philosophical perspectives, and raise important basic theoretical issues about both measurement and cognitive structure. Additionally, several of the chapters provide useful topical reviews (e.g., Baird and Hubbard on imagery, Algom on memory psychophysics, and Rollman on pain). The volume makes a compelling case that cognitive effects are an important component of psychophysical judgment even within the sensory realm and that psychophysical techniques can and should be used to tell us more about aspects of cognition. Whether the latter message will be heard by those …

Comparative Effectiveness Of Therapeutic Strategies On Drug Knowledge And Drug Attitude In Inpatient Psychiatric Substance Abuse Population, Amber Haque

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of instructional strategies on the change of knowledge and attitude scores in mentally ill subjects with a history of substance abuse. Twenty subjects from a state psychiatric hospital were randomly divided into one control and three experimental groups. The study period was ten weeks with each session lasting forty five minutes, twice per week. Subjects studied issues relating to drug abuse outside scheduled sessions as they pleased. Pre- and post-test scores were measured by a drug abuse questionnaire developed at the Pennsylvania State University. Hypotheses formed were: (a) drug education improves knowledge and attitude in …

Sex Differences In Coping, Judy L. Johnson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nolen-Hoeksema (1987, 1991) has suggested that males engage in more problem-focused, distractive, coping strategies, whereas females engage in more emotion-focused, ruminative, coping strategies. This study tested NolenHoeksema's response styles theory, which suggests that using a ruminative response style may predispose women to depression more than men. It also examined perceptions of effective coping and utilization of social support. One hundred and twenty subjects completed the Ways of Coping Checklist, a coping questionnaire, the Perceptions of Coping Questionnaire, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior, and the Personality Attributes Questionnaire. Results provide evidence for sex differences in the …

Topic Bibliography On Behaviorally And Emotionally Disordered Youth And Service, Robin Vue Benson, Robert D. Shumer

Bibliographies

The sources listed on the following pages are in response to requests for information on the behaviorally and emotionally disturbed youth and service-learning. They were obtained by conducting searches of the ERIC database on CD-ROM. Broad topics were chosen for a comprehensive selection of references. With several hundred records identified, only those with direct relevance are included here. In addition, references from several service-learning bibliographies are included. The search for more sources of information on this topic is ongoing and this compilation will be updated periodically.

Sexual Practices And Attitudes Of Street Youth In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Marcela Raffaelli, Regina Campos, Alice Payne Merritt, Eliana Siqueira, Carlos Mauricio Antunes, Richard Parker, Marilia Greco, Dirceu Greco, Neal Halsey, Elizabeth Bolt, Mauro Lucio Jeronymo, Carl Kendall, Zelia Ottoni, Jorge Andrade Pinto, Jon Rolf, Andrea Ruff, Walter Ude, Barbara De Zalduondo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Street youth are at risk of HIV infection worldwide. To develop effective prevention strategies, information about the meanings and functions of sexual activity for street youth is needed. In this paper, data from structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and field observations are used to build up a picture of the sexual culture of 9-to-18-year-olds living and/or working on the streets of a large Brazilian city. The findings reveal that these children and adolescents engage in sexual behavior that puts them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and reinforce that sex is a multi-determined and entrenched behavior …

Pregnancy Prevention In Early Adolescence: A Developmental Perspective, Lisa J. Crockett, Joanne S. Chopak

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although there is widespread interest in preventing teenage pregnancy, few interventions have been directed toward young adolescents. In part this neglect is understandable because adolescents under age 15 account for only a small percentage of teenage pregnancies (Pittman & Adams, 1988). At the same time, the lack of attention to younger adolescents is unfortunate on several counts. First, an increasing number of young adolescents are at risk. Rates of sexual activity have been rising in this group (Hofferth, Kahn, & Baldwin, 1987) and, because young adolescents are typically not consistent or effective contraceptive users, an increasing number of girls are …

Father’S Presence And Young Children’S Behavioral And Cognitive Adjustment, Lisa J. Crockett, David J. Eggebeen, Alan J. Hawkins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The impact of fathers on the development and well-being of their children has been the focus of much recent research and debate (e.g., Furstenberg, 1988; Hawkins & Eggebeen, 1991; Lamb, 1987). Traditionally, fathers have been assumed to play an important role in the socialization of their children and, consequently, father-absence has been hypothesized to result in a variety of cognitive and psychosocial vulnerabilities. The need to understand the influence of fathers becomes especially acute at a time when high rates of divorce and nonmarital childbearing lead to the prediction that the majority of children will experience some period of father-absence …